When Possessions Possess You
A man once had a daughter about to get married and he couldn’t afford the wedding. However, this man was a famous author and he had fans. One of his biggest fans was Catherine the Great, the Empress of Russia. She loved the work of Denis Diderot and she felt sorry for him. She offered him the equivalent of over $200,000 for his personal library. He could even hold on to the library and act as her personal librarian. Suddenly all Diderot’s money troubles were over. He had enough for the wedding and more to spare.
One of the first things he bought was a beautiful scarlet robe. But Denis Diderot soon noticed that his scarlet robe didn’t fit with all his other possessions. So he had to upgrade. And he spent the rest of his life upgrading, endlessly shopping and pursuing more and better possessions.
James Clear tells this true story in his bestselling book Atomic Habits. He writes: “Diderot’s behaviour is not uncommon. In fact, the tendency for one purchase to lead to another has a name: the Diderot Effect. The Diderot Effect states that obtaining a new possession often creates a spiral of consumption that leads to additional purchases.” It’s a chain reaction that seems impossible to stop.
Denis Diderot wasn’t a Christian, but we all know Christians aren’t immune to the “spiral of consumption” he fell into. If we’re honest, many of us experience it regularly. When it happens, Scripture tells us that there’s more going on than meets the eye. It’s not just about your outward behaviour. You’re not just getting possessions. Possessions are getting you. They’ve got your heart.
In Luke 12:13-21, Jesus encountered someone much like Diderot, someone captured by the allure of stuff. He used the opportunity to teach his disciples about the heart dangers that come with earthly possessions.
In that passage, a man sought help from Jesus in an inheritance dispute with his brother. Instead of deciding the dispute, Christ used the moment to warn against covetousness. He emphasized that “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” He then illustrated this truth with the parable of the rich fool. In this parable, a farmer’s abundant harvest drives him to plan bigger barns and a life of ease, only to have God label him a fool and require his soul that very night. The rich man erred in his complete self-centeredness and practical atheism, making his plans without any consideration of God or his own mortality.
There’s an important difference between being “rich toward oneself” and being “rich toward God.” That difference was lost on the rich fool. As Philip Ryken pointed out, the man had a spiritual problem, not a storage problem. He was turned inward, ignoring both God and the needs of the people around him. He was truly a fool. The sobering reality is that this rich fool’s heart condition isn’t unique to him – it’s the human condition. We all struggle with the temptation to find our security in what we own rather than in God. Thankfully, there is one who lived differently.
Think about it: how much did Jesus own? Not much, maybe just the clothes he was wearing. He didn’t have an abundance of possessions. He did never succumbed to the temptations of covetousness. He was tempted in every way like we are, but never sinned. He was the perfect man always on guard against greedy selfish desires. When we believe in him, his obedience is credited to us. When you’re with Christ by faith, God looks at you and he doesn’t see the foolish rich man in this parable, but the wise man Jesus.
Moreover, when you lean on Jesus Christ, he has carried the wrath you deserve for your selfish greed. When you rest in Jesus and what he did on the cross, he paid the penalty you owe to God. Your soul has been purchased with his blood. You need not fear when the day comes that God requires your soul of you. There is forgiveness in Christ for selfish greed. Just bring it to the Lord, confess it to him, and he will forgive all of our different sorts of covetousness.
What does life truly consist of? It’s not in accumulating more stuff. It’s in relationship with God who has been so rich toward us in Jesus Christ. In him, we have something worth far more than gold or diamonds. When riches get you, you get nothing but grief. When Christ gets you, you get joy, peace, and communion with him forever. Have your possessions taken hold of your heart?
